SIRUI W-1204Waterproof Tripod

Whether you’re setting it down in the Caribbeansand or steadying it amongst a rocky outcroppingon some rolling Irish hills, the SIRUI W-1204 is upfor the rigors of your travel photography. Thiscarbon-fiber tripod has waterproof legs that canwithstand salt water, and one leg converts to amonopod for added versatility. You’ll find abubble-level and slip-resistant rubber feetthat can be replaced with the includedstainless steel spikes when dealing withrougher terrain. The tripod’s centercolumn has a hook for adding extraweight in the event you need greaterstability. The 1204 has four adjustable leg sections andextends to a maximum height of 63. 8 inches. It canmanage payloads up to 33. 1 pounds so it’s ideal for bothstill and filmmaking gear. —Greg Scoblete

price: $300

sirui.com

LIGHTING TOOL

Illuminati Color Meter

Forget everything you’ve
heard about a secret Cabal;
this Illuminati lets you join
the not-so-secret society
of photographers armed
with accurate light readings.

Unlike your traditional lightmeter, the Illuminati connectsto your smartphone via Bluetooth. The device measures colortemperature, exposure and chromaticity and sends it in real timeto your phone. You can program up to 15 different alarms to, say,warn of brightness changes in ambient lighting. You can alsotrigger metering using a smart watch and receive alerts directly toyour watch, in the event you don’t want your phone out. Thanksto its small size, you can deploy multiple Illuminatis around ascene to measure foreground and background light, sending allof that info to the Illuminati app on your phone. The device hasa range of roughly 80 feet and has a magnet for mounting onmetallic surfaces, plus a tripod socket and a hook for a lanyard. It’spowered by a pair of AAA batteries. —Greg Scoblete